Brandywine Seizes Momentum on Dunk, Rides Surge to 1st Championship Win
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
March 16, 2024
EAST LANSING – It may be a stretch to believe a lone play early in a third quarter could decide a state championship game, but that's the best explanation Niles Brandywine could offer.
A steal and ensuing slam dunk ignited eight dominating minutes that earned the Bobcats their first MHSAA Finals title with Saturday's 56-48 win over Detroit Old Redford in Division 3 at the Breslin Center.
A steal and subsequent dunk by senior guard Jaremiah Palmer during the third period's opening seconds were what players credited with turning around a contest which saw Brandywine actually outscore Old Redford in just that one quarter.
"Jaremiah got the steal and the dunk, and we just kept it going after that," senior guard Byron Linley said. "We saw his intensity, and we wanted to match it."
Prior to Palmer's steal and basket, Niles Brandywine had led only 4-1 midway through the first quarter and for less than three minutes of the second quarter, entering halftime down 24-23.
But Palmer's exploits kicked off a 20-5 third-quarter surge which led the Bobcats to as much as a 44-31 lead halfway through the period.
"Our goal was to come here and win and finish (the season) in a good way, and we did," Jaremiah Palmer said.
Senior guard Jamier Palmer said it wasn't the first time the Bobcats have rallied in the second half, and the steal and dunk were at least a key part of the championship win.
"I think so," he said. "We've been down before and fought our way back. Against Benton Harbor we were down like 20 points, and we still made that game ours."
Senior center Brock Dye said at halftime players talked about making a big play.
"We knew we had to change things, that we couldn't be one stop short," he said. "Then we got the dunk, and everything changed quickly. It energized us. We told ourselves, 'OK, we're here to play.'"
Brandywine coach Nate Knapp, whose team has won 51 games over the last two seasons, said while the steal and dunk played a part, he also credited defense. The team gave up an average of just 39 points over seven tournament wins. Old Redford (21-8) shot just 38 percent from the floor while missing 16 of 18 3-point attempts.
"We have five guys on the floor and one heartbeat," Knapp said. "We take things one step at a time. That's what we preach, and that's what the kids buy into."
Jaremiah Palmer finished with18 points, six rebounds and three steals while Ja'Torian Smith had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Sophomore Jaylin Muldrow had 14 points and Ja'Quan Stennis added 10 for Old Redford. The Ravens started only one senior in forward Justin Adams, while underclassmen scored all 48 points.
Old Redford coach Ray Reeves said the team settled for jump shots instead of getting the ball inside, and also set far too many picks on offense. Brandywine held a 36-27 advantage on the boards, with 13 offensive rebounds.
"They were more aggressive than us, and I think experience came into play," he said. "We've been outrebounding teams, and tonight they killed us. There are no excuses, we just didn't rebound or get to the line. They dominated both.
"From the middle of the first quarter on, they attacked the boards and got the ball down the floor. They did the things that got us here."
Knapp said defense has been a strength all season.
"Defense wins big games; you've got to defend," he said. "We said tonight we've got to do one of our best jobs of stopping their penetration and help box out. We came out and imposed our will in the third quarter.”
PHOTOS (Top) Jaremiah Palmer slam dunks during Niles Brandywine’s Division 3 championship win Saturday at Breslin Center. (Middle) Jamier Palmer (1) raises the trophy surrounded by teammates. (Below) Old Redford’s Jaylin Muldrow (1) gets to the basket with Jaremiah Palmer defending. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Missing McKenney Provides St. Mary's Another Opportunity to Grow
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2025
Such a situation certainly wouldn’t be ideal for Todd Covert and his Orchard Lake St. Mary’s boys basketball team.
But from now on during the MHSAA Tournament, if star guard Trey McKenney gets into foul trouble or has to miss extended game time for another reason, it might not be as nightmarish of a scenario as once thought.
On Jan. 9, during a game against IMG Academy (Fla.), McKenney suffered a broken bone in the top of his shooting hand.
He didn’t return until Feb. 8. But that month without McKenney ended up producing a revelation for Covert and his team.
Essentially, the sky didn’t fall and the reigning Division 1 champion showed it could still be one of the top teams in the state.
“Of course, when he’s with us I think we’re a lot better,” said St. Mary’s senior Jayden Savoury, who has signed with Michigan State for football but also is an important member of the basketball team. “But when he was down, a lot of guys had to step up. I think that built us up and made us better.”
During that stretch, St. Mary’s went 4-2, with the losses by one point to No. 1 East Lansing and two to No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. One of the wins was over Grand Rapids Northview, which received votes in the final rankings of the regular season.
“Kids had to take on new roles and hit some big shots,” Covert said. “Obviously with Trey we missed his scoring. It took us a couple of games to rebound. He rebounds. He goes and gets it. We were blocking out the same, but we weren’t going to get it. That’s how East Lansing hurt us early, and they ended up beating us. It took us a minute (to adjust).”
McKenny, a Michigan signee, averaged 22.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a junior and is a finalist for the Mr. Basketball Award this season. The Eaglets this winter also returned two more starters and a top sub from last season’s championship-winning team, but losing McKenney provided them another opportunity to grow.
Covert said Savoury was one of the players who stepped up and filled an expanded role, as did senior and Western Michigan signee Sharod Barnes, and senior Isaiah Hines.
“In a weird way, it really made Trey appreciate what he had,” Covert said.
While watching from the bench during that stretch, McKenney constantly nodded his head in approval of what his teammates were doing.
“We have such a deep team, I think the next man is always going to be ready whenever somebody is hurt or whenever somebody is in foul trouble,” McKenney said. “Everybody was ready and everybody took the challenge on. I was happy to see the game from a different aspect.”
McKenney returned Feb. 8 in a Catholic High School League Bishop quarterfinal, then helped lead the Eaglets past Brother Rice in a semifinal game and then to another Catholic League title with a 58-57 win over Detroit U-D Jesuit in the Feb. 14 final.
With him back in the fold, St. Mary’s seems fully stocked to repeat as Division 1 champion entering a District Final game Friday against West Bloomfield.
Even more reassuring for St. Mary’s than having McKenney back is that if he got into foul trouble or had to miss extended time again, all hope wouldn’t be lost thanks to how St. Mary’s developed during the month he was out.
“Definitely,” Savoury said. “When he’s in foul trouble, we’ll be all right.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Trey McKenney holds up a banner celebrating his becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer during a win over Toledo Whitmer on Dec. 28. (Middle) Quincy Wright (5) dunks against East Lansing on Jan. 11. (Photos courtesy of the State Champs! Sports Network.)